We are not data points. We are people.
Filed under: Black
If being Black, queer, and neurodivergent has taught me anything, it’s that you don’t need data and reports to tell you to treat people with love and compassion. These are bare minimum requirements for every human on the planet. Just because someone is LGBTQ+ or disabled or part of any combination of marginalised groups doesn’t mean you need to collect data and create a report to tell you… discrimination exists and people feel excluded. And that’s all these reports really do. If you’re lucky to get actions from them, they’re devoid of communication with these groups and suggest things like:
- Changing words in documents without context as to why or any consultation with those affected
- Creating groups that segregate more than they include (for what it’s worth, I do think Black-specific communities, for example, are a vital thing in societies but they should be uplifted and protected by people outside them too and the fact that they’re not is where this point stems from)
- Unconscious bias training that focuses on one subset of people and barely shakes the proverbial table
Alternatively, you could just look inward, do your reading, call out discrimination, check in with people at any time and not just during times of grief, provide assistance to those who need it, ask what people need, listen and don’t offer advice unless you’re asked for it, and not make things about you and your data collection.
We are not data points. We are people. Treat us with respect NOW and stop hiding behind pie charts and bureaucracy.